Techniques for sharing device capabilities over a network of user devices

ABSTRACT

Techniques are disclosed for generating device cluster capability information for a cluster of devices in a network environment. Capability information can specify capabilities of the devices in the cluster. A first user device can generate device capabilities for the first user device and obtain device capabilities for other devices in the cluster. The first user device can generate cluster capability information providing an intersection of the first set of device capabilities and device capabilities of the other user devices in the cluster. The first user device can obtain cluster capability information for other clusters in the network environment and receive a request from a service user device to perform a specific task. The first user device can transmit cluster capability information relating to a selected cluster that corresponds with the request.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 63/164,494, titled “TECHNIQUES FOR SHARING DEVICECAPABILITIES OVER A NETWORK OF USER DEVICES,” and filed Mar. 22, 2021,the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Many network environments include multiple devices capable of performingvarious processing tasks. For example, a network environment can includea combination of computing devices, mobile devices, sensors, internet ofthings (IoT) devices, etc. In some instances, the devices in a networkenvironment can be separated into clusters of devices within the networkenvironment and assigned to a leader within each cluster. One or more ofthe clusters can work together to manage an automated environment withinthe network. However, given the many various types of devices andprocessing tasks, many challenges exist in managing the automatedenvironment.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the present disclosure can provide methods, systems,and computer-readable media for generating capability informationrelating to a cluster of user devices. Capability data of multipleclusters of user devices in a network environment can be used to selecta cluster for performance of a task.

According to one embodiment, a method is disclosed. The method caninclude identifying, by a first user device of a plurality of userdevices in a first cluster of a plurality of clusters in a network, thatthe first user device is a leader user device of the first cluster. Thefirst user device can also be part of a second cluster of the pluralityof clusters in the network. The method can also include deriving, by thefirst user device, a first set of device capabilities that correspond tothe first user device.

The method can also include receiving, from other user devices of thefirst cluster, a plurality of respective other sets of devicecapabilities that each correspond to one of the other user devices ofthe first cluster. The method can also include generating, by the firstuser device, a cluster capability comprising an intersection of thefirst set of device capabilities that correspond to the first userdevice and each of the plurality of respective other sets of devicecapabilities that each correspond to one of the other user devices.

The method can also include receiving, from a second user device in thesecond cluster, a second generated cluster capability for the secondcluster. The second user device can be configured to be a second leaderof the second cluster. The method can also include receiving, by thefirst user device, a request from a service user device. In someinstances, the method can also include notifying, by the first userdevice, the service user device of the generated cluster capability forthe first cluster. This can be performed in accordance with the requestcorresponding to the first cluster. In other instances, the method canalso include notifying, by the first user device, the service userdevice of the second generated cluster capability for the secondcluster. This can be performed in accordance with the requestcorresponding to the second cluster.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a flow process for deriving device cluster capabilityinformation for a cluster of devices in a network environment, accordingto some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example network environment,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an examplearchitecture of a system used to detect and act upon a user request,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example signaling process for selection of acluster for execution of a request using derived cluster capabilityinformation, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a method for generatingcapabilities of device clusters with overlapping capabilities.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example signaling reprocess for updating clustercapability data based on devices leaving/entering a cluster, accordingto some embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example method for derivingdevice cluster capability information for a cluster of devices in anetwork environment, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a process for dynamicallyupdating generated cluster capabilities for a cluster of devices in anetwork.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, various examples will be described. Forpurposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples.However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that theexamples may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore,well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscurethe example being described.

The following examples are provided to introduce certain embodiments. Inthe following description, for the purposes of explanation, specificdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofexamples of the disclosure. However, it will be apparent that variousexamples may be practiced without these specific details. For example,devices, systems, structures, assemblies, methods, and other componentsmay be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscurethe examples in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-knowndevices, processes, systems, structures, and techniques may be shownwithout necessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the examples. Thefigures and description are not intended to be restrictive. The termsand expressions that have been employed in this disclosure are used asterms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention inthe use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents ofthe features shown and described or portions thereof. The word “example”is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, orillustration.” Any embodiment or design described herein as an “example”is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous overother embodiments or designs.

The present embodiments relate to deriving device cluster capabilityinformation for a cluster of devices in a network environment.Capability information can specify capabilities (e.g., processingcapabilities, network transmission capabilities, classes of devices,applications executing on the devices, etc.) of the devices in thecluster. The cluster capability information can be used for selection ofa cluster to execute requests provided by a service user device. Thecluster capability information can also be used to selectingapplications/features to be activated/enabled in the cluster.

A cluster can include a number of associated devices (e.g.,network-accessible devices, internet of things (IoT) devices, sensors,mobile phones, computing devices, etc.)) in a network environment (e.g.,home, building, etc.). The network environment can include a number ofclusters, where each cluster includes a leader device (e.g., a deviceperforming specific processing tasks, coordinating state information ofdevices in the cluster, etc.). The first user device can derive a set ofdevice capabilities for the first user device. The device capabilitiesfor the first user device can specify various capabilities (e.g., powercapabilities, processing capabilities, network capabilities, features ofthe device, etc.) specific to the first user device.

As an illustrative example, a first user device (e.g., a smart homedevice) can derive cluster capability information for a set of devicesin the cluster. The cluster capability information can comprise anintersection of device capabilities that correspond to the first userdevice and device capabilities of the other user devices in the cluster.The intersection of device capabilities can specify various capabilitiesof the devices in the cluster, such as a maximum processing power of thedevices in the cluster, a device capable of processing or rendering 4Kvideo data, or other software features of devices in the cluster, forexample. In some examples, the intersection for each type of capabilitymay include the maximum amount (e.g., highest level) of that capabilitythat is common among the devices in the cluster. For example, if onlythree out of four devices in the cluster have audio output capabilities,then the intersection for this type of capability (e.g., audio output)would be “none.” In other words, the cluster does not have audio outputcapabilities because the intersection (e.g., the maximum in common forthat type) does not include a value. In another example, if all fourdevices have audio output, but only two have stereo (e.g., the other twoonly have mono), then the intersection would be “mono” since stereomight be considered a higher level of audio output and not all devicesin the cluster have stereo. If one of the mono devices were removed fromthe cluster, the intersection would still be mono. However, if both monodevices were removed from the cluster, when the intersection wasrecalculated, the cluster would now list “stereo” as its capability forthe audio output type.

In another example, an intersection can be evaluated for each level of acapability type (as opposed to just analyzing the maximum levels). Forexample, following the above example, the intersection of level “mono”for type “audio output” may be calculated for the set of devices in thecluster, and separately, the intersection of level “stereo” for type“audio output” may be calculated for the set of devices in the cluster.When the intersection includes “mono” for all devices, then “mono” isone capability for that cluster. If the intersection also includes“stereo” for all devices, then “stereo” is another capability for thatcluster. However, if just one device in the cluster does not have“stereo” capabilities, then the only value for “audio output,” in thisexample, may be “mono.” Thus, the determined capabilities for thatcluster would only include “mono.” Of course, various other combinationsof levels and capabilities are envisioned, as desired.

The first user device can be a leader device of a first cluster and alsobe part of a second cluster. A user device comprising a leader devicefor a cluster can be a leader device for one or more other clusters inthe network environment. The different clusters can include differingcapabilities specific to devices in each cluster. The first user devicecan obtain capability information specific to each cluster thatspecifies an intersection of capabilities unique to each cluster ofdevices. The first user device can process a request from a service userdevice node (e.g., a request to process 4K video data from a computingdevice external to a network). The first user device can compareparameters included in the request (e.g., a parameter to render 4K videodata) with capabilities of the clusters to identify a cluster forperforming the request. In this example, if the first cluster includes avideo streaming device capable of rendering 4K video data, the firstcluster can be selected to perform the request and the clustercapability information of the first cluster can be sent to the serviceuser device.

Additionally, in some examples, a particular device in two separateclusters may be associated with different capabilities (e.g., byrespective cluster leaders) for any given capability type based on therespective clusters' intersections. For example, using the aboveexample, a particular device may have stereo audio output capabilities.However, the device may also be able to play mono (e.g., it may bepossible that most devices with multiple speakers can play stereo ormono, depending on the input audio source). Thus, if this device withboth stereo and mono capabilities is included in two separate clusters,it may end up being associated with different capabilities depending onthe other devices in each cluster. For example, as discussed above, thisdevice may be included in a cluster with three other devices, where oneis stereo and the other two are mono. For this first cluster, theintersection would be “mono,” so this device would be associated with“mono” for this cluster. However, the particular device in question mayalso be in another cluster, where all of the other devices have stereocapabilities. In this case, the particular device that is associatedwith “mono” in the first cluster would be associated with “stereo” inthe second cluster because the intersection for the second cluster isclearly stereo.

FIG. 1 illustrates a flow process 100 for deriving device clustercapability information for a cluster of devices in a networkenvironment. At block 102, the first user device 112 can receive devicecapability data 118 (e.g., device 2 capabilities, device 3 capabilities)relating to device 114 and device 116 (e.g., a smart home device, aspeaker, a video streaming device, a sensor, an internet of things (IoT)device)) in the first cluster. The device capability data can specifycapabilities of the other devices in the first cluster.

At block 104, the first user device 112 can generate cluster capabilityinformation based on the set of device capabilities for the first userdevice and the received device capability data of the other user devicesin the first cluster. The cluster capability information can provide anintersection of the first set of device capabilities that correspond tothe first user device and each of the plurality of respective other setsof device capabilities that each correspond to one of the other userdevices. For example, the cluster capability information can specifytypes of devices in the first cluster (e.g., mobile phones,video-enabled devices, devices with audio capabilities), networkthroughput capabilities, processing capabilities, etc.

At block 106, the first user device 112 can receive generated clustercapabilities 120 for other clusters from other devices (e.g., leaderdevice 2 122, leader device 3 124) of the other clusters in the networkenvironment. The generated cluster capabilities for the other clusterscan specify capabilities unique to each other cluster of the networkenvironment. In some embodiments, devices in the cluster can be notifiedof the current set of capabilities supported by the cluster from theleader device. The leader device can send a notification to the clusterdevices any time the cluster capability information changes.

At block 108, the first user device 112 can receive a request 128 from aservice user device 126 (e.g., a mobile device in the networkenvironment, a computing device external to the network environment).The request can include the service user device 126 registering anobserver specifying a capability and the registered observer can providea notification anytime the availability of the cluster changes. In somecases, a service user device (e.g., like service user device 126) is acontroller device. A controller device can be any type of electronicdevice configured to provide control instructions to one or more otherdevices (e.g., accessory devices) within the network environment (e.g.,the home). A controller device can be a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone with cellular and/or Wi-Fi capabilities) or it can be a computingdevice external to the network environment (e.g., a smart phone not inthe home, or a server). Additionally, some controller devices may beassociated with one or more service user devices (e.g., a voice commandservice user device, a home control service user device, an identitymanagement service user device, a voice recognition service user device,or the like). The request can include a request to perform a task orcommunicate specific data with various parameters. For example, therequest can specify a processing capability to perform the request or aspecific device type (e.g., a video-enabled device) to perform therequest.

At block 110, the first user device 112 can transmit cluster capabilityinformation relating to a selected cluster 130 to the service userdevice 126. The first user device 112 can also notify the service userdevice of the cluster capabilities for a cluster that corresponds withthe request. In response, data relating to the request can be providedfrom the service user device to the leader device of the cluster thatcorresponds with the request.

The present embodiments allow for selective transmission of requests toa cluster to perform various tasks based on capabilities unique to thecluster. Accordingly, clusters in a network environment withcapabilities that best correspond with parameters of a request canhandle the request, which can increase the computational efficiency inprocessing requests.

Additionally, as described in greater detail below, many devices in theclusters can be ephemeral in nature (e.g., devices that have anincreased likelihood of leaving a cluster or be unavailable for dataprocessing). In such instances, the leader device can detect devicesleaving/entering the cluster and dynamically update the clustercapability information to reflect the new intersection of capabilitiesof the cluster. The dynamically updated cluster capability informationcan increase accuracy in identifying a cluster that corresponds withparameters of a request, which can increase the efficiency in processingthe request by the cluster.

I. NETWORK ENVIRONMENT

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example network environment200. As shown in FIG. 2 , the network environment 200 can includemultiple clusters (cluster 1 202 a, cluster 2 202 b). Each cluster caninclude a subset of network-accessible devices in the networkenvironment 200. In the example as illustrated in FIG. 2 , cluster 1 202a can include leader device 206 and devices 208, 210, while cluster 2202 b can include leader device 212 and devices 214, 216, 218. In someinstances, a user 204 can interact with one or more devices (e.g.,device 208) in the network environment 200.

A cluster can include a number of devices included in a region of thenetwork environment (e.g., a room in a house, a portion of a building)or a cluster can include devices associated with a specific user (e.g.,devices associated with an account for a user). The devices in thecluster can interact with other devices in the cluster to forward databetween devices (e.g., forming a mesh network). Devices in each clustercan be static in the network environment and the devices can include alowered likelihood of leaving the network environment (e.g., a videostreaming device, thermostat)) and devices that are ephemeral in naturethat include devices with an increased likelihood of leaving the networkenvironment (e.g., a mobile phone, laptop computer).

In some embodiments, the devices in the cluster can form a mesh network.For example, device 216 can forward data between devices 212, 218 viathe mesh network. The mesh can include a connected graph of user devicesthat work together to provide a service user device or set of serviceuser devices as a single instance. These service user devices providedby the mesh can be made available then through a separate applicationprogramming interface (API) (i.e., clients do not call directly into themesh, clients call an API abstraction on top of the mesh). To integratewith other subsystems within the network, the cluster can elect a leaderwhich is responsible for maintaining data communication between devicesand synchronizing data between devices in the cluster.

Devices can communicate with external networks (e.g., external device222) via a network interface 220 (e.g., a wireless router). Devices inthe network environment can each be capable of communicating with andthrough a communications network (representing the Internet, wide areanetworks (WANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), local area networks(LANs), wireless area networks (WiLANs), radio access network (RANs),public switched telephone network (PTSN), etc., and/or combinations ofthe same). Devices in the network environment can also communicatedirectly with other devices in the network environment without utilizingthe communications network.

Each cluster can include a leader device. For example, cluster 1 202 acan include leader device 206 and cluster 2 202 b can include leaderdevice 212. In some instances, a leader device (e.g., 206) can beincluded in multiple clusters (e.g., 202 a, 202 b). Leader devices foreach cluster can perform specific processing tasks for a cluster, suchas direct data between devices in the cluster; coordinate stateinformation of the devices in the cluster; derive cluster capabilityinformation as described herein; etc.

In some embodiments, the leader device can be changed from a firstdevice to another device in the cluster responsive to a triggering event(e.g., the leader device leaving the network environment, another deviceentering the cluster, a time duration expiration). The leader device canbe chosen from the user devices in the cluster. The devices in thecluster can include a unique ID that specifies the device andcharacteristics of the device (e.g., a device type, device class,whether the device is wired or wireless, battery powered, etc.).

The service user device can include a device in a network external tothe clusters 202 a, 202 b. For example, a service user device (e.g.,device 222) can include a computing device (e.g., a mobile phone,computing device) requesting a service user device from a cluster in thenetwork environment. As described in greater detail below, the requestfor a service user device can include a request for a processing task tobe performed by a cluster with capability information that correspondswith parameters of the request.

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram 300 illustrating an examplearchitecture of a system used to detect and act upon a user request,according to some embodiments. The diagram includes a representativeuser device 302, one or more accessory devices 304, a representativeaccessory device 306, one or more network(s) 308, and a server device.Each of these elements depicted in FIG. 3 may be similar to one or moreelements depicted in other figures described herein. In someembodiments, at least some elements of diagram 300 may operate withinthe context of a home environment (e.g. the network environment 200 ofFIG. 2 ).

The accessory devices 304 and representative accessory device 306 may beany suitable computing device (e.g., smart speaker, smartwatch, smartthermostat, camera, etc.). In some embodiments, an accessory device mayperform any one or more of the operations of accessory devices describedherein. Depending on the type of accessory device and/or location of theaccessory device (e.g., within the home environment or outside the homeenvironment), the accessory device may be enabled to communicate usingone or more network protocols (e.g., a Bluetooth connection, a Threadconnection, a Zigbee connection, a WiFi connection, etc.) and networkpaths over the network(s) 308 (e.g., including a LAN or WAN), describedfurther herein.

In some embodiments, the server device 310 may be a computer system thatcomprises at least one memory, one or more processing units (orprocessor(s)), a storage unit, a communication device, and an I/Odevice. In some embodiments, the server device 310 may perform any oneor more of the operations of server devices described herein. In someembodiments, these elements may be implemented similarly (ordifferently) than as described in reference to similar elements of userdevice 302.

In some embodiments, the representative user device 302 may correspondto any one or more of the user devices described herein. For example,the user device 302 may correspond to one or more of the user devices ofthe cluster of devices as illustrated in FIG. 2 . The representativeuser device may be any suitable computing device (e.g., a mobile phone,tablet, a smart hub speaker device, a smart media player communicativelyconnected to a TV, etc.).

In some embodiments, the one or more network(s) 308 may include anInternet WAN and a LAN. As described herein, the home environment may beassociated with the LAN, whereby devices present within the homeenvironment may communicate with each other over the LAN. As describedherein, the WAN may be external from the home environment. For example,a router associated with the LAN (and thus, the home environment) mayenable traffic from the LAN to be transmitted to the WAN, and viceversa. In some embodiments, the server device 310 may be external to thehome environment, and thus, communicate with other devices over the WAN.

As described herein, user device 302 may be representative of one ormore user devices connected to one or more of the network(s) 308. Theuser device 302 has at least one memory 312, a communications interface314, one or more processing units (or processor(s)) 316, a storage unit318, and one or more input/output (I/O) device(s) 320.

Turning to each element of user device 302 in further detail, theprocessor(s) 316 may be implemented as appropriate in hardware,computer-executable instructions, firmware or combinations thereof.Computer-executable instruction or firmware implementations of theprocessor(s) 316 may include computer-executable or machine-executableinstructions written in any suitable programming language to perform thevarious functions described.

The memory 312 may store program instructions that are loadable andexecutable on the processor(s) 316, as well as data generated during theexecution of these programs. Depending on the configuration and type ofuser device 302, the memory 312 may be volatile (such as random accessmemory (“RAM”)) or non-volatile (such as read-only memory (“ROM”), flashmemory, etc.). In some implementations, the memory 312 may includemultiple different types of memory, such as static random access memory(“SRAM”), dynamic random access memory (“DRAM”) or ROM. The user device302 may also include additional storage 318, such as either removablestorage or non-removable storage including, but not limited to, magneticstorage, optical disks, and/or tape storage. The disk drives and theirassociated computer-readable media may provide non-volatile storage ofcomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, andother data for the computing devices. In some embodiments, the storage318 may be utilized to store data contents received from one or moreother devices (e.g., server device 310, other user devices, accessorydevices 304, or the representative accessory device 306). For example,the storage 318 may store accessory management settings, accessorysettings, and user data associated with users affiliated with the homeenvironment.

The user device 302 may also contain the communications interface 314that allows the user device 302 to communicate with a stored database,another computing device or server, user terminals, or other devices onthe network(s) 308. The user device 302 may also include I/O device(s)320, such as for enabling connection with a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, avoice input device, a touch input device, a display, speakers, aprinter, etc. In some embodiments, the I/O devices(s) 320 may be used tooutput an audio response or other indication as part of executing theresponse to a user request.

The memory 312 may include an operating system 322 and one or moreapplication programs or service user devices for implementing thefeatures disclosed herein, including a communications module 324, a userinterface module 326, a speech processing module 330, a clusteridentification module 332, a device capability determination module 334,a cluster capability determination module 338, a cluster capabilityupdate module 340, and a wake word module 336.

The communications module 324 may comprise code that causes theprocessor(s) 316 to generate instructions and messages, transmit data,or otherwise communicate with other entities. As described herein, thecommunications module 324 may transmit messages via one or more networkpaths of network(s) 308 (e.g., via a LAN associated with the homeenvironment or an Internet WAN).

The user interface module 326 may comprise code that causes theprocessor(s) 316 to present information corresponding to the accessorydevices and user devices present within a home environment. For example,the user interface module 326 can present a graphical representation ofuser devices and the accessory devices currently associated with eachaccessory device. In some embodiments, the user interface module 326 canallow a user to provide configuration information about a new accessorydevice to be added to a home environment or allow the user to selectuser devices or accessory devices for removal from the home environment.

The speech processing module 330 can comprise code that causes theprocessor(s) 316 to receive and process an audio input corresponding tospeech or other sound amenable to analysis by techniques describedherein. Wake word module 336 can comprise code that causes processor(s)316 to receive and process a portion of an audio input corresponding toa trigger or wake word. For example, wake word module 336 can analyze aportion of an audio input to determine the presence of a wake word. Thespeech processing module can also, in some embodiments, determine alanguage corresponding to the audio input and use that language toinform the analysis of the wake word portion.

The cluster identification module 332 can comprise code that causes theprocessor(s) 316 to identify a number of clusters in a networkenvironment and identify devices included in each cluster. For instance,the cluster identification module 332 can identify a cluster associatedwith device 302 and whether the device 302 is a leader device for thecluster. The cluster identification module 332 can also identify otherdevices (e.g., one or more of accessory devices 304 or other devices onthe network 308) in the cluster (e.g., by processing device identifyinginformation, by identifying a location of each device in the network).Identifying the devices in each cluster can be utilized in generation ofcluster capability data as described herein.

The device capability determination module 334 can comprise code thatcauses the processor(s) 316 to derive capabilities of the device (e.g.,user device 302). The device capability determination module 334 canobtain device characteristics from various components of user device 302(e.g., from O/S 322, Comm. Module 324, I/O devices 320). The devicecapability determination module 334 can process the obtainedcharacteristics to derive capabilities of the device. For instance,processor(s) 316 data can be processed to determine average processingresources used by device 302 relative to a maximum processing capabilityof the device 302 to generate average available processing resources forthe device 302. As another example, O/S 322 data can be processed toidentify features of the device 302, applications capable of beingexecuted on device 302, etc. The device capability information can bearranged in an ordered tuple for subsequent processing as describedherein. Deriving a device capability is described in greater detail atblock 422 of FIG. 4 or block 504 of FIG. 5 for example.

The cluster capability determination module 338 can comprise code thatcauses the processor(s) 316 to generate capability information for thecluster of user device. The cluster capability information can specifyfeatures or capabilities of all devices in the cluster. The clustercapability determination module 338 can obtain device capability datafor all devices in a cluster (e.g., via Comm. Module 324) and arrangedevice capability data by capability type. While any user device cangenerate the capability information as described herein, in manyinstances, only leader devices for each cluster will generate thecapability information for the cluster of devices.

The cluster capability determination module 338 can aggregate allcapability data of the devices in the cluster to generate an overallcluster capability that can be used in selection of a cluster or adevice in the cluster to process data provided by a service user devicenode. For example, aggregating capability data can include identifyingavailable processing power for each device, identifying capabilitiesspecific to each device (e.g., whether a device can output audiocontent, whether a device can stream video content), identifying deviceclasses of devices in the clusters, etc. Generating a cluster capabilityis described in greater detail at block 428 of FIG. 4 or block 608 ofFIG. 6 , for example.

The cluster capability update module 340 can comprise code that causesthe processor(s) 316 to update the cluster capability informationresponsive to a change to the devices in the cluster. Changes to thedevices in the cluster can include an addition of a device in thenetwork, a device leaving the cluster, a device obtaining new features(e.g., a software update), etc. The device 302 can detect update(s) todevices in the cluster by communicating with devices in the cluster(e.g., via Comm. module 324) and establishing connections with devicesin the cluster. Dynamically updating cluster capability information isdiscussed in greater detail with respect to FIG. 6 .

Turning now to the details of the representative accessory device 306,the accessory device 306 can have, in some embodiments, at least onememory 350, a communications interface 352, processor(s) 354, a storageunit 356, and I/O devices 358. As described herein with respect to theuser device 302, these elements of the accessory device can have thesame appropriate hardware implementations as their counterparts on theuser device 302.

The memory 350 of the accessory device 306 can include an operatingsystem 364 and one or more application programs or service user devicesfor implementing the features disclosed herein, including communicationsmodule 360, audio module 362, cluster identification module 392, devicecapability determination module 394, cluster capability determinationmodule 396, cluster capability update module 398, speech detectionmodule 372, and wake word module 374. As described herein with respectto the user device 302, the communications module 360 can have similarappropriate functionality as its counterpart communications module 324,the cluster identification module 392 can have similar appropriatefunctionality as its counterpart cluster identification module 332,device capability determination module 394 can have similar appropriatefunctionality as its counterpart device capability determination module334, cluster capability determination module 396 can have similarappropriate functionality as its counterpart cluster capabilitydetermination module 340, cluster capability update module 398 can havesimilar appropriate functionality as its counterpart cluster capabilityupdate module 340, and wake word module 374 can have similar appropriatefunctionality as its counterpart wake word module 336.

The audio module 362 may comprise code that causes the processor(s) 354,in conjunction with the I/O devices 358, to receive, process, andtransmit audio signals. For example, the audio module 362 can receive auser utterance or other audio input at a microphone with the I/O devices358 and transmit that audio data to the user device 302 over a streamingaudio channel or other suitable connection. The audio module 362 canalso receive response audio from the user device 302 and play that audioat a speaker within the I/O devices 358.

Wake word module 374 can comprise code that causes processor(s) 354 toreceive and process the wake word. For example, wake word module 374 cananalyze a portion of an audio input to determine the presence of a wakeword.

II. SELECTION OF A CLUSTER BASED ON CLUSTER CAPABILITY INFORMATION

FIG. 4 illustrates an example signaling process 400 for selection of acluster for execution of a request using derived cluster capabilityinformation. As shown in FIG. 4 , a first cluster can include a serviceuser device node (e.g., a service user device) 402, a leader device 1404, and a number of other devices (e.g., device 2 406, device 3 408).The second leader device (e.g., leader device 2) 410 can include aleader device of a second cluster of devices in a network environment.

At block 420, the leader device 404 can establish a connection withdevices in the cluster (e.g., devices 406, 408). For example, the leaderdevice 404 can request data identifying device 2 406 and device 3 408 toestablish a connection with devices 406, 408. The data provided fromdevices 406, 408 to the leader device 404 can include a deviceidentifier, device class, device location, etc.

At block 422, each device in the first cluster (e.g., 404, 406, 408) canderive device capabilities. For example, the leader device 404 canderive device capability data specific to the device 404. Devicecapability data can include data identifying capabilities of eachdevice. For example, the device capability data can specify a processingcapability, a power capability, a network capability, a device class, asoftware version of the device, whether the device is battery powered(e.g., a power configuration), whether the device is configured forwired or wireless communication (e.g., a data communicationconfiguration), etc. The device capability data can specify anapplication or software feature capability. As described in greaterdetail below, each device can obtain characteristics of the device andprocess the characteristics to derive capability data quantifying thecapabilities of each device.

At blocks 424 and 426, device capabilities of the other devices in thecluster can be transmitted to the leader device 1 404. For example,device 2 406 and device 3 408 can each send respective device capabilitydata to the leader device 404. The device capability information cancomprise a series of values specifying the device capabilities and canbe provided in an order based on data type (e.g., as an ordered tuplespecifying an order of a processing capability, a power capability, anetwork capability, a device class, a software version of the device).

At block 428, the leader device 404 can derive a first clustercapability of the devices in the first cluster. The cluster capabilitycan include an aggregate series of capabilities of all devices in thecluster, specifying features available to devices in the cluster, amaximum processing capacity, a maximum network throughput capacity,device types in the cluster, etc. The aggregated series of capabilitiesof the devices in the cluster can provide aggregated computing resourcesavailable for the devices in each cluster for performance of variousprocessing tasks.

The aggregated capabilities for the devices in the cluster can providean intersection of capabilities of the devices in the cluster. Theintersection of capabilities can provide capabilities specific to eachcluster. For instance, the intersection of capabilities can providefeatures (e.g., video streaming devices, devices capable of outputtingaudio, specific device types) unique to each cluster. In some instances,overlapping clusters of devices can have different intersections even ifthe clusters share a number of devices. The differing intersections canspecify features specific to each cluster of devices and can be used toselect a cluster for performing a task as described herein.

At block 430, the leader device 404 can obtain cluster capability datafor the second cluster from the second leader device 410. The clustercapability data for the second cluster can include capability dataspecific to the devices in the second cluster and can differ from thecapabilities of the first cluster. In some embodiments, leader device404 can also be part of the second cluster and may only obtaincapability data for the second cluster when the leader device 404 ispart of the second cluster as well.

At block 432, the service user device 402 can provide a request for aservice user device to the leader device 404. The request for theservice user device can include a request to perform a processing taskby one of the clusters. As an illustrative example, the request caninclude a request provided by a computing device external to the networkenvironment to request a video stream from a device in a 4K (3840×2160pixel) resolution.

At block 434, the leader user device 404 can determine a cluster basedon the request. The leader user device can process the request for aservice user device from the service user device node and identify aseries of parameters specific to the request. The parameters can specifya requested data type (e.g., video, audio), a requested processing powerof devices in the network, a requested network throughput capability ofdevices in the network, etc. In the example of a request requesting avideo stream from a device in a 4K (3840×2160 pixel), the leader device1 404 can compare cluster capability information for each cluster todetermine that the second cluster has a device capable of streaming avideo in the 4K resolution. In response, the leader user device 404 canforward the second cluster capability information to the service userdevice as described in block 436 below.

In some embodiments, selecting a cluster can include comparing theparameters of the request with data types included in the clustercapability information. For example, each data type (e.g., applicationsexecuting on devices in each cluster, available processing resources ondevices in each cluster) can be assigned a ranking relative to otherclusters in the network. The cluster capability information for eachcluster can be processed to determine whether the capability informationis within a threshold similarity to a requested parameter as specifiedin the request. A number of data types of the device capabilityinformation can be processed to select a cluster specific to eachrequest provided by a service user device.

In some embodiments, the cluster capability data can indicate whether acapability is available or not. For example, a cluster can include fourdevices registering a “Mono Audio Output” capability and two devicesregistering a “Stereo Audio Output” capability. For the cluster of fourdevices, the “Mono Audio Output” capability would be available and the“Stereo Audio Output” Capability would not be available in the clustercapability data. However, if a secondary cluster was composed of justthe two devices registering the “Stereo Audio Output” capability, thatsecond cluster would have the “Stereo Audio Output” Capability as partof the cluster capability data.

At block 436, the leader user device 404 can send the first clustercapability information and/or the second cluster capability informationto the service user device 402. The leader user device 404 can sendeither the first cluster capability information and/or the secondcluster capability information to the service user device 402 based onthe determination of a cluster as recited in block 434.

At block 438, the data can be provided to the first cluster via theleader device 404. The data can be sent to the leader device 404responsive to the leader device selecting the first cluster forexecution of the request in block 434.

At block 440, the data can be provided to the second leader device 410for performance of the request at the second cluster. The data can besent to the second leader device 410 responsive to the leader deviceselecting the second cluster for execution of the request in block 434.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram 500 illustrating a method for generatingcapabilities of device clusters with overlapping capabilities. In manyinstances, one or more devices can be common to multiple clusters. Insuch instances, cluster capability information can include overlappingintersections of capabilities of devices in each cluster. Theoverlapping intersections can specify capabilities unique to eachcluster that can be used to select a cluster to perform a task.

At block 502, the first user device can identify that the first userdevice is a leader user device of the first cluster. The first userdevice can also identify a plurality of user devices in a first clusterin a network. Further, at least one common user device can be includedin both a first cluster and a second cluster.

For example, a device with a speaker can be included in both the firstcluster and second cluster. However, in this example, the device withthe speaker can only output audio response to an instruction fromdevice(s) in the first cluster. For instance, the device may be able toplay both stereo and mono audio, and another device in the first clustercan be associated with mono audio. Accordingly, the intersection of thefirst cluster can be associated with mono audio. Further, if devices inthe second cluster are associated with stereo, the second intersectionof the first cluster can be associated with stereo audio.

At block 504, the first user device can receive a plurality ofrespective other sets of device capabilities that each correspond to oneof the other user devices of the first cluster. The device capabilitiescan specify computing capabilities or other software features of devicesin the cluster.

At block 506, the first user device can generate a cluster capabilitycomprising an intersection of the first set of device capabilities thatcorrespond to the first user device and each of the plurality ofrespective other sets of device capabilities that each correspond to oneof the other user devices.

At block 508, the first user device can receive a second generatedcluster capability for the second cluster from a second user devicecomprising a leader device of the second cluster. The second cluster caninclude a second intersection of the second set of device capabilitiesthat correspond to the second user device and each of the plurality ofrespective other sets of device capabilities that each correspond to oneof the other user devices in the second cluster. The capabilityinformation for each cluster can include different intersections ofcapabilities of the devices in each cluster. For example, as notedabove, the device with the speaker can only output audio content when arequest for output is sent to the cluster that includes “audio output”as a capability. While the speaker is capable of outputting, it may berestricted from doing so in a cluster that does not have that capability(e.g., based on the intersection of one cluster being different from theintersection of another cluster).

At block 510, the first user device can receive a request from a serviceuser device (e.g., a controller). This can include a request from amobile device to play audio content on a speaker of a device in thenetwork environment, for example.

At block 512, the first user device can notify the service user deviceof generated cluster capability for the cluster that corresponds to therequest. For example, the overlapping intersections of the clusters canbe compared with the request to identify that the first cluster is toperform the request. The first cluster can be selected because thedevice with the speaker common to both clusters is capable of outputtingaudio content when interacting with devices in the first cluster, as isspecified in the cluster capability information for the first cluster.

III. DYNAMIC UPDATING OF CLUSTER CAPABILITY DATA

FIG. 6 illustrates an example signaling reprocess 600 for updatingcluster capability data based on devices leaving/entering a cluster. Asnoted above, in many instances, devices in a cluster can be ephemeral innature and may leave the network environment or enter the networkenvironment. Additionally, some devices may lose connectivity, becompletely removed from a user's network, or be added to the network asnew devices. The cluster capability information can be dynamicallyupdated as the devices are added/removed from the cluster, therebyincreasing the accuracy in cluster capabilities for selection of acluster to perform requests.

In some embodiments, a device in a cluster can register and/orunregister capabilities at any time. In these embodiments, the leaderdevice for the cluster can be notified of the capability changes and cancompute new cluster capability data for the cluster. If the intersectionof capabilities is modified, a notification of the new set of availablecapabilities is sent to the devices in the cluster.

At block 620, a device (e.g., device 3 606) can be removed from thecluster. For example, device 606 can include a mobile device that isoutside a communication range of the other devices in the cluster. Inthis example, the device is no longer capable of communicating withother devices in the cluster, and accordingly, the overall capabilityfor the cluster is changed.

At block 622, the leader device 602 can detect that device 3 606 isremoved from the cluster. The leader device 602 can obtain an indicationthat the device 3 606 is no longer in the cluster or the leader device602 can detect a time period of inactivity from the device 3 606, forexample.

At block 624, the leader device 602 can derive an updated clustercapability for the cluster. The updated cluster capability can includean overall capability of the devices in the cluster without thecapability data relating to device 3 606. The leader device 602 canderive the updated cluster capability similar to the process asdescribed in block 428.

As an illustrative example, a calculated intersection of capabilitiescan be calculated for a cluster of devices. In this example, a devicethat is not capable of processing 4K video can be removed from thecluster. Subsequent to detecting that the device is removed from thecluster, the intersection of capabilities can be re-calculated for acluster of devices. For example, the updated intersection ofcapabilities can specify that all devices are capable of processing 4Kvideo. Accordingly, an updated intersection can include 4K videoprocessing as part of the capabilities of the cluster.

In some embodiments, a new device (e.g., device 4 608) can be introducedto the cluster. For example, the device 4 608 can be registered to thecluster, powered on, or otherwise within a communication range ofdevices in the cluster. At block 626, the leader device 602 canestablish a connection with newly entered device 4 608. Establishing theconnection with the new device can include obtaining data specific tonew device 4 608.

At block 628, the new device 608 can derive device capabilities of thedevice. The new device 608 can identify capabilities of the device andgenerate the device capability information as specified herein (e.g., atblock 422 in FIG. 4 ).

At block 630, the leader device 602 can receive the device capabilitiesof the new device from the new device 608. At block 632, the leaderdevice can derive an updated cluster capability. The updated clustercapability can include an intersection of the first set of devicecapabilities that correspond to the first user device and each of theplurality of respective other sets of device capabilities that eachcorrespond to one of the other user devices as well as the new userdevice. The updated cluster capability information can take into accountthe new device capabilities to identify capabilities of all devices inthe cluster.

For example, responsive to new device 608 being added to the network,the intersection can be re-calculated to identify capabilities of thecluster. For example, if the new device 608 can process 4K video and theother devices in the cluster can process 4K video, the re-calculatedintersection can specify that 4K video can be processed by all devicesin the cluster.

IV. EXAMPLE METHOD FOR DERIVING DEVICE CLUSTER CAPABILITY INFORMATIONFOR A CLUSTER OF DEVICES IN A NETWORK ENVIRONMENT

FIG. 7 is a block diagram 700 illustrating an example method forderiving device cluster capability information for a cluster of devicesin a network environment. A first user device can be included in aplurality of user devices in a first cluster of a plurality of clustersin a network. The first user device can also be part of a second clusterof the plurality of clusters in the network.

At block 702, the first user device can identify that the first userdevice is a leader user device of the first cluster. As describedherein, the leader user device can generate the cluster capabilityinformation for devices in the cluster. The user devices in the firstcluster can include network-accessible devices (e.g., mobile phone,computing device, IoT device) that are disposed within a first region ofa network environment (e.g., a room or zone within a network), and userdevices in the second cluster can include network-accessible devicesthat are disposed within a second region of a network environment. Zonescan include multiple rooms, or areas of a building that are not definedas rooms. For example, a “security” zone might include all the devicesthat are configured to manage home security and may not be in a specificroom (e.g., a smart doorbell, a front porch light, a light in thefoyer/entryway, a video camera, and/or a speaker in a bedroom (e.g., aspart of an intercom system or the like)). Zones can also include wideareas of an environment that are also not room-specific (e.g., an“upstairs” zone, a “downstairs” zone, a “patio” zone, or the like). Assuch, clusters can be identified as devices within a room, within azone, within an area, and/or within a portion of a room. Additionally, acluster may be just a set of devices that have been grouped together(e.g., a service user device group) by functionality (e.g., a turntable,amplifier, FM radio, and a set of speakers can all be included in asingle cluster).

At block 704, the first user device can derive a first set of devicecapabilities that correspond to the first user device. The first set ofdevice capabilities can specify various capabilities of the first userdevice. For instance, deriving the first set of device capabilities caninclude identifying a series of features unique to the first userdevice, identifying types of data capable of being outputted by thefirst user device, determining a power metric indicative of a powercapacity of the first user device, determining a network metricindicative of a data transmission capability of the first user device,and determining a processing metric indicative of a processingcapability of the first user device. The first set of devicecapabilities can also specify various applications executing on the userdevice or a set of software features specific to the device type of thefirst user device.

For example, applications executing on the user device can include audiorecording applications, video output applications, doorbell triggeringapplications, etc. As another example, software features specific todevice types can specify devices with audio output capabilities, videooutput capabilities, text display capabilities, smart home controlcapabilities (e.g., devices capable of modifying thermostat settings),etc.

At block 706, the first user device can receive a plurality ofrespective other sets of device capabilities that each correspond to oneof the other user devices of the first cluster from other user devicesof the first cluster. In some instances, each of the other user devicesin the first cluster derives each set of device capabilities that isincluded in the plurality of respective other sets of devicecapabilities. In other instances, the leader user device obtains devicedata relating to each user device in the cluster of user devices andgenerates the device capabilities for each user device based on theobtained device data.

At block 708, the first user device can generate a cluster capabilitycomprising an intersection of the first set of device capabilities thatcorrespond to the first user device and each of the plurality ofrespective other sets of device capabilities that each correspond to oneof the other user devices. The cluster capability can providecapabilities of the devices in the cluster. In some embodiments, thefirst user device can transmit the generated cluster capability to eachof the other user devices of the first cluster.

The intersection of device capabilities can be calculated using derivedcapabilities of all devices in the cluster. For instance, theintersection can provide a listing identifying capabilities of thedevices in the cluster (e.g., identifying all devices that can process4K video data). In some instances, the intersection can provide allcapabilities of the devices in the cluster that can identify featuresunique to the devices in the cluster. For example, the intersection canindicate devices that can output stereo audio, that a first device canprocess 4K video, etc.

In some instances, the cluster capability can be updated responsive to achange to the devices in the cluster. For example, the first user devicecan detect that a user device is no longer included in the firstcluster. The first user device can derive an updated cluster capabilitywithout device capabilities relating to the user device no longer beingincluded in the first cluster. The first user device can notify theservice user device of the updated cluster capability for the firstcluster.

As another example, the first user device can detect that a new userdevice is included in the first cluster. The first user device canreceive device capabilities relating to the new user device and derivean updated cluster capability that includes the device capabilitiesrelating to the new user device. The first user device can notify theservice user device of the updated cluster capability for the firstcluster.

At block 710, the first user device can receive a second generatedcluster capability for the second cluster from a second user device inthe second cluster. The second user device can be configured to be asecond leader of the second cluster. The second generated clustercapability for the second cluster can specify capabilities unique to thedevices of the second cluster.

As noted above, in some instances, at least one device can be common toboth the first cluster and second cluster. In these instances, thegenerated cluster capabilities for each cluster can differ despiteincluding a common device. For example, an audio device in two separateclusters has both stereo and mono audio output capabilities. In thisexample, the device may be included in a first cluster with three otherdevices, where one is stereo and the other two are mono. For the firstcluster, the intersection would specify “mono,” so this device would beassociated with “mono” for this cluster. However, the device may also bein a second cluster, where all of the other devices in the secondcluster have stereo capabilities. In this case, the device that isassociated with “mono” in the first cluster would be associated with“stereo” in the second cluster.

At block 712, the first user device can receive a request from a serviceuser device. The request can provide various parameters for performanceof a task by at least one user device. The service user device, as aresult of getting capability availability information for one or moreclusters can decide to which cluster it wishes to direct the request.

In some embodiments, at block 714, the first user device can notify theservice user device of the generated cluster capability for the secondcluster. Notifying the service user device of the generated clustercapability can be performed in accordance with the request correspondingto the first cluster.

In some instances, the set of parameters can be compared with thegenerated cluster capability for the first cluster and the generatedcluster capability for the first cluster to determine whether the firstcluster or second cluster corresponds to the set of parameters.Determining whether the first cluster or second cluster corresponds tothe set of parameters can include identifying similarities between theparameters of the request with capabilities of each cluster. The serviceuser device can be notified of the generated cluster capability for thefirst cluster responsive to determining that the generated clustercapability for the first cluster corresponds with the set of parameters.Alternatively, the service user device can be notified of the generatedcluster capability for the second cluster responsive to determining thatthe generated cluster capability for the second cluster corresponds withthe set of parameters.

In some embodiments, at block 716, the first user device can notify theservice user device of the second generated cluster capability for thesecond cluster. The notification can be performed in accordance with therequest corresponding to the second cluster.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram 800 illustrating a process for dynamicallyupdating generated cluster capabilities for a cluster of devices in anetwork.

At block 802, the first node can identify that the first node is aleader node of the first cluster. The first node can be included in aplurality of nodes in a first cluster of a plurality of clusters in anetwork. At least one node of the plurality of nodes in the firstcluster can also be part of a second cluster of the plurality ofclusters in the network.

At block 804, the first node can register a first set of devicecapabilities that correspond to the first node. The first set of devicecapabilities that correspond to the first node can identify capabilitiesunique to the first device (e.g., software features, data output types,available processing resources)

At block 806, the first node can receive a plurality of respective othersets of device capabilities that each correspond to one of the othernodes of the first cluster from other nodes of the first cluster. Atblock 808, the first node can generate a cluster capability comprisingan intersection of the first set of device capabilities that correspondto the first node and each of the plurality of respective other sets ofdevice capabilities that each correspond to one of the other nodes.

At block 810, the first node can transmit the generated clustercapability to each of the other nodes of the first cluster. The othernodes in the first cluster can obtain the cluster capability in caseanother device can be selected as a leader device if the first nodeleaves the network. In this instance, the cluster capability can bere-calculated by the new leader device without the capabilities of thefirst node.

At block 812, the first node can notify additional nodes in the networkof the generated cluster capability for the first cluster. For instance,other leader devices in the network can obtain the generated clustercapability for the first cluster that can be used for selection of acluster to perform specific processing tasks.

At block 814, the first node can dynamically update the generatedcluster capability for the first cluster upon detection of a capabilitychange corresponding to the first node or any of the other nodes of thefirst cluster. The capability change can include any of an addition of anew device to the cluster, a removal of a device to the cluster, newsoftware features being available to device(s) in the network (e.g., ina software update), etc.

In some examples, a method is disclosed, where the method comprisesidentifying, by a first node of a plurality of nodes in a first clusterof a plurality of clusters in a network, that the first node is a leadernode of the first cluster, wherein at least one node of the plurality ofnodes in the first cluster is also part of a second cluster of theplurality of clusters in the network, registering, by the first node, afirst set of device capabilities that correspond to the first node,receiving, from other nodes of the first cluster, a plurality ofrespective other sets of device capabilities that each correspond to oneof the other nodes of the first cluster, generating, by the first node,a cluster capability comprising an intersection of the first set ofdevice capabilities that correspond to the first node and each of theplurality of respective other sets of device capabilities that eachcorrespond to one of the other nodes, transmitting, by the first node,the generated cluster capability to each of the other nodes of the firstcluster, notifying, by the first node, additional nodes in the networkof the generated cluster capability for the first cluster, anddynamically updating the generated cluster capability for the firstcluster upon detection of a capability change corresponding to the firstnode or any of the other nodes of the first cluster.

V. CONCLUSION

As described above, one aspect of the present technology is thegathering and use of data available from specific and legitimate sourcesto improve the delivery to users of invitational content or any othercontent that may be of interest to them. The present disclosurecontemplates that in some instances, this gathered data may includepersonal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used toidentify a specific person. Such personal information data can includedemographic data, location-based data, online identifiers, telephonenumbers, email addresses, home addresses, data or records relating to auser's health or level of fitness (e.g., vital signs measurements,medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or anyother personal information.

The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personalinformation data, in the present technology, can be used to the benefitof users. For example, the personal information data can be used todeliver targeted content that may be of greater interest to the user inaccordance with their preferences. Accordingly, use of such personalinformation data enables users to have greater control of the deliveredcontent. Further, other uses for personal information data that benefitthe user are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For instance,health and fitness data may be used, in accordance with the user'spreferences to provide insights into their general wellness, or may beused as positive feedback to individuals using technology to pursuewellness goals.

The present disclosure contemplates that those entities responsible forthe collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use ofsuch personal information data will comply with well-established privacypolicies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities would beexpected to implement and consistently apply privacy practices that aregenerally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmentalrequirements for maintaining the privacy of users. Such informationregarding the use of personal data should be prominent and easilyaccessible by users, and should be updated as the collection and/or useof data changes. Personal information from users should be collected forlegitimate uses only. Further, such collection/sharing should occur onlyafter receiving the consent of the users or other legitimate basisspecified in applicable law. Additionally, such entities should considertaking any needed blocks for safeguarding and securing access to suchpersonal information data and ensuring that others with access to thepersonal information data adhere to their privacy policies andprocedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluationby third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacypolicies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should beadapted for the particular types of personal information data beingcollected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards,including jurisdiction-specific considerations that may serve to imposea higher standard. For instance, in the US, collection of or access tocertain health data may be governed by federal and/or state laws, suchas the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA),whereas health data in other countries may be subject to otherregulations and policies and should be handled accordingly.

Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplatesembodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to,personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplatesthat hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent orblock access to such personal information data. For example, such as inthe case of advertisement delivery service user devices, the presenttechnology can be configured to allow users to select to “opt in” or“opt out” of participation in the collection of personal informationdata during registration for service user devices or anytime thereafter.In another example, users can select not to provide mood-associated datafor targeted content delivery service user devices. In yet anotherexample, users can select to limit the length of time mood-associateddata is maintained or entirely block the development of a baseline moodprofile. In addition to providing “opt in” and “opt out” options, thepresent disclosure contemplates providing notifications relating to theaccess or use of personal information. For instance, a user may benotified upon downloading an app that their personal information datawill be accessed and then reminded again just before personalinformation data is accessed by the app.

Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personalinformation data should be managed and handled in a way to minimizerisks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can beminimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once itis no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including incertain health related applications, data de-identification can be usedto protect a user's privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, whenappropriate, by removing identifiers, controlling the amount orspecificity of data stored (e.g., collecting location data at city levelrather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g.,aggregating data across users), and/or other methods such asdifferential privacy.

Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use ofpersonal information data to implement one or more various disclosedembodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the variousembodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing suchpersonal information data. That is, the various embodiments of thepresent technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all ora portion of such personal information data. For example, content can beselected and delivered to users based on aggregated non-personalinformation data or a bare minimum amount of personal information, suchas the content being handled only on the user's device or othernon-personal information available to the content delivery service userdevices.

The various embodiments further can be implemented in a wide variety ofoperating environments, which in some cases can include one or more usercomputers, computing devices or processing devices that can be used tooperate any of a number of applications. User or client devices caninclude any of a variety of different types of computers, such asdesktop or laptop computers running a standard operating system, as wellas cellular, wireless and handheld devices running mobile software andcapable of supporting a number of networking and messaging protocols.Such a system also can include a number of workstations running any of avariety of commercially available operating systems and other knownapplications for purposes such as development and database management.These devices also can include other electronic devices, such as dummyterminals, thin-clients, gaming systems and other devices capable ofcommunicating via a network.

Most embodiments utilize at least one network that would be familiar tothose skilled in the art for supporting communications using any of avariety of commercially available protocols, such as TCP/IP, OSI, FTP,UPnP, NFS, CIFS, and AppleTalk. The network can be, for example, a localarea network, a wide-area network, a virtual private network, theInternet, an intranet, an extranet, a public switched telephone network,an infrared network, a wireless network, and any combination thereof.

In embodiments utilizing a network server, the network server can runany of a variety of server or mid-tier applications, including HTTPservers, FTP servers, CGI servers, data servers, Java servers, andbusiness application servers. The server(s) also may be capable ofexecuting programs or scripts in response requests from user devices,such as by executing one or more applications that may be implemented asone or more scripts or programs written in any programming language,such as Java®, C, C# or C++, or any scripting language, such as Perl,Python or TCL, as well as combinations thereof. The server(s) may alsoinclude database servers, including without limitation thosecommercially available from Oracle °, Microsoft®, SAP®, and IBM®.

The environment can include a variety of data stores and other memoryand storage media as discussed above. These can reside in a variety oflocations, such as on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in) oneor more of the computers or remote from any or all of the computersacross the network. In a particular set of embodiments, the informationmay reside in a storage-area network (“SAN”) familiar to those skilledin the art. Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functionsattributed to the computers, servers or other network devices may bestored locally and/or remotely, as appropriate. Where a system includescomputerized devices, each such device can include hardware elementsthat may be electrically coupled via a bus, the elements including, forexample, at least one central processing unit (“CPU”), at least oneinput device (e.g., a mouse, keyboard, controller, touch screen orkeypad), and at least one output device (e.g., a display device, printeror speaker). Such a system may also include one or more storage devices,such as disk drives, optical storage devices, and solid-state storagedevices such as RAM or ROM, as well as removable media devices, memorycards, flash cards, etc.

Such devices also can include a computer-readable storage media reader,a communications device (e.g., a modem, a network card (wireless orwired), an infrared communication device, etc.), and working memory asdescribed above. The computer-readable storage media reader can beconnected with, or configured to receive, a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium, representing remote, local, fixed,and/or removable storage devices as well as storage media fortemporarily and/or more permanently containing, storing, transmitting,and retrieving computer-readable information. The system and variousdevices also typically will include a number of software applications,modules, service user devices or other elements located within at leastone working memory device, including an operating system and applicationprograms, such as a client application or browser. It should beappreciated that alternate embodiments may have numerous variations fromthat described above. For example, customized hardware might also beused and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware,software (including portable software, such as applets) or both.Further, connection to other computing devices such as networkinput/output devices may be employed.

Non-transitory storage media and computer-readable storage media forcontaining code, or portions of code, can include any appropriate mediaknown or used in the art such as, but not limited to, volatile andnon-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information such ascomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules orother data, including RAM, ROM, Electrically Erasable ProgrammableRead-Only Memory (“EEPROM”), flash memory or other memory technology,CD-ROM, DVD or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or any othermedium that can be used to store the desired information and that can beaccessed by the system device. Based at least in part on the disclosureand teachings provided herein, a person of ordinary skill in the artwill appreciate other ways and/or methods to implement the variousembodiments. However, computer-readable storage media does not includetransitory media such as carrier waves or the like.

The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure asset forth in the claims.

Other variations are within the spirit of the present disclosure. Thus,while the disclosed techniques are susceptible to various modificationsand alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereofare shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit thedisclosure to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary,the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructionsand equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure,as defined in the appended claims.

The use of the terms “a,” “an,” and “the,” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the disclosed embodiments (especially in thecontext of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both thesingular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearlycontradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,”and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning“including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term“connected” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within,attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening.The phrase “based at least in part on” should be understood to beopen-ended, and not limiting in any way, and is intended to beinterpreted or otherwise read as “based at least in part on,” whereappropriate. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intendedto serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to eachseparate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicatedherein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specificationas if it were individually recited herein. All methods described hereincan be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated hereinor otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and allexamples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, isintended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the disclosure anddoes not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unlessotherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construedas indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice ofthe disclosure.

Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood within thecontext as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may beeither X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and/or Z).Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and shouldnot, imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at leastone of Y, or at least one of Z to each be present. Additionally,conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, should also be understood to meanX, Y, Z, or any combination thereof, including “X, Y, and/or Z.”

Preferred embodiments of this disclosure are described herein, includingthe best mode. Variations of those preferred embodiments may becomeapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading theforegoing description. It is expected that skilled artisans should beable to employ such variations as appropriate, and it is intended forthe disclosure to be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications andequivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended heretoas permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of theabove-described elements in all possible variations thereof isencompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein orotherwise clearly contradicted by context.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: identifying, by a first userdevice of a plurality of user devices in a first cluster of a pluralityof clusters in a network, that the first user device is a leader userdevice of the first cluster, wherein at least the first user device isalso part of a second cluster of the plurality of clusters in thenetwork; deriving, by the first user device, a first set of devicecapabilities that correspond to the first user device; receiving, fromother user devices of the first cluster, a plurality of respective othersets of device capabilities that each correspond to one of the otheruser devices of the first cluster; generating, by the first user device,a cluster capability comprising an intersection of the first set ofdevice capabilities that correspond to the first user device and each ofthe plurality of respective other sets of device capabilities that eachcorrespond to one of the other user devices; receiving, from a seconduser device in the second cluster, a second generated cluster capabilityfor the second cluster, the second user device configured to be a secondleader of the second cluster; receiving, by the first user device, arequest from a service user device; in accordance with the requestcorresponding to the first cluster: notifying, by the first user device,the service user device of the generated cluster capability for thefirst cluster; and in accordance with the request corresponding to thesecond cluster: notifying, by the first user device, the service userdevice of the second generated cluster capability for the secondcluster.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein deriving the first set ofdevice capabilities further comprises: identifying, by the first userdevice, a series of features unique to the first user device;identifying, by the first user device, types of data capable of beingoutputted by the first user device; determining, by the first userdevice, a power metric indicative of a power capacity of the first userdevice; determining, by the first user device, a network metricindicative of a data transmission capability of the first user device;and determining, by the first user device, a processing metricindicative of a processing capability of the first user device.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein each of the other user devices in the firstcluster derive each set of device capabilities that is included in theplurality of respective other sets of device capabilities.
 4. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: detecting, by the first user device,that a user device is no longer included in the first cluster; deriving,by the first user device, an updated cluster capability without devicecapabilities relating to the user device no longer being included in thefirst cluster; and notifying, by the first user device, the service userdevice of the updated cluster capability for the first cluster.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: detecting, by the first userdevice, that a new user device is included in the first cluster;receiving, by the first user device from the new user device, devicecapabilities relating to the new user device; deriving, by the firstuser device, an updated cluster capability that includes the devicecapabilities relating to the new user device; and notifying, by thefirst user device, the service user device of the updated clustercapability for the first cluster.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein therequest from the service user device includes a set of parameters forperformance of the request, the method further comprising: comparing theset of parameters with the generated cluster capability for the firstcluster and the generated cluster capability for the second cluster todetermine whether the first cluster or second cluster corresponds to theset of parameters, wherein: the service user device is notified of thegenerated cluster capability for the first cluster responsive todetermining that the generated cluster capability for the first clustercorresponds with the set of parameters; or the service user device isnotified of the generated cluster capability for the second clusterresponsive to determining that the generated cluster capability for thesecond cluster corresponds with the set of parameters.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein user devices in the first cluster comprisenetwork-accessible devices that are disposed within a first region of anetwork environment, and user devices in the second cluster comprisenetwork-accessible devices that are disposed within a second region of anetwork environment.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:transmitting, by the first user device, the generated cluster capabilityto each of the other user devices of the first cluster.
 9. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereoncomputer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of afirst user device, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:identifying that the first user device is a leader user device of afirst cluster, wherein the first user device is of a plurality of userdevices in the first cluster of a plurality of clusters in a network,and wherein at least the first user device is also part of a secondcluster of the plurality of clusters in the network; deriving a firstset of device capabilities that correspond to the first user device;receiving, from other user devices of the first cluster, a plurality ofrespective other sets of device capabilities that each correspond to oneof the other user devices of the first cluster; generating a clustercapability comprising an intersection of the first set of devicecapabilities that correspond to the first user device and each of theplurality of respective other sets of device capabilities that eachcorrespond to one of the other user devices; receiving, from a seconduser device in the second cluster, a second generated cluster capabilityfor the second cluster, the second user device configured to be a secondleader of the second cluster; receiving, by the first user device, arequest from a service user device; in accordance with the requestcorresponding to the first cluster: notifying, by the first user device,the service user device of the generated cluster capability for thefirst cluster; and in accordance with the request corresponding to thesecond cluster: notifying, by the first user device, the service userdevice of the second generated cluster capability for the secondcluster.
 10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed bythe processor of the first user device, further cause the processor toperform operations comprising: receiving a number of respective clustercapabilities of other clusters in the network; processingcharacteristics specified in the request to select a cluster with agenerated cluster capability that corresponds to the characteristicsspecified in the request; and forwarding the cluster capability of theselected cluster responsive to selecting the cluster.
 11. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein thecomputer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor of thefirst user device, further cause the processor to perform operationscomprising: transmitting the generated cluster capability to each of theother user devices of the first cluster.
 12. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the generatedcluster capability for the first cluster specifies a number of featurescapable of being performed by devices in the first cluster and a numberof applications executing on the devices in the first cluster.
 13. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein thecomputer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor of thefirst user device, further cause the processor to perform operationscomprising: detecting that a new user device is included in the firstcluster; receiving, from the new user device, device capabilitiesrelating to the new user device; deriving an updated cluster capabilitythat includes the device capabilities relating to the new user device;and notifying the service user device of the updated cluster capabilityfor the first cluster.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium of claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions, whenexecuted by the processor of the first user device, further cause theprocessor to perform operations comprising: detecting that a second userdevice in the first cluster includes at least one new capability;receiving updated device capabilities from a second user device in thefirst cluster that has at least one new capability; deriving an updatedcluster capability that includes the at least one new capability; andnotifying the service user device of the updated cluster capability forthe first cluster.
 15. A first user device included in a first clusterof user devices to select a cluster to perform a request based oncluster capability information for clusters of user devices in anetwork, the first user device comprising: a memory configured to storecomputer-executable instructions; and a processor configured to connectto the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to atleast: identify that the first user device is a leader user device ofthe first cluster, wherein the first user device is of a plurality ofuser devices in a first cluster of a plurality of clusters in a network,and wherein at least the first user device is also part of a secondcluster of the plurality of clusters in the network; derive a first setof device capabilities that correspond to the first user device;receive, from other user devices of the first cluster, a plurality ofrespective other sets of device capabilities that each correspond to oneof the other user devices of the first cluster; generate a clustercapability comprising an intersection of the first set of devicecapabilities that correspond to the first user device and each of theplurality of respective other sets of device capabilities that eachcorrespond to one of the other user devices; receive, from a second userdevice in the second cluster, a second generated cluster capability forthe second cluster, the second user device configured to be a secondleader of the second cluster; receive a request from a service userdevice; in accordance with the request corresponding to the firstcluster: notifying, by the first user device, the service user device ofthe generated cluster capability for the first cluster; and inaccordance with the request corresponding to the second cluster:notifying, by the first user device, the service user device of thesecond generated cluster capability for the second cluster.
 16. Thefirst user device of claim 15, wherein the cluster capability identifiesa series of features unique to devices in the first cluster, a series ofapplications executing on the devices in the first cluster, a powermetric indicative of a power capacity of the devices in the firstcluster, a network metric indicative of a data transmission capabilityof the devices in the first cluster, a processing metric indicative of aprocessing capability of the devices in the first cluster, a softwareversion of the devices in the first cluster, a power configuration ofeach device in the first cluster, and a data communication configurationof each device in the first cluster.
 17. The first user device of claim15, wherein the processor is configured to connect to the memory andfurther execute the computer-executable instructions to at least: detectthat a second user device is no longer included in the first cluster;remove any capabilities relating to the second user device from thecluster capability; derive an updated cluster capability without devicecapabilities relating to the second user device no longer being includedin the first cluster; and notify the service user device of the updatedcluster capability for the first cluster.
 18. The first user device ofclaim 15, wherein the processor is configured to connect to the memoryand further execute the computer-executable instructions to at least:detect that a new user device is included in the first cluster; receive,from the new user device, device capabilities relating to the new userdevice; derive an updated cluster capability that includes the devicecapabilities relating to the new user device; and notify the serviceuser device of the updated cluster capability for the first cluster. 19.The first user device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configuredto connect to the memory and further execute the computer-executableinstructions to at least: receive a number of respective clustercapabilities of other clusters in the network; process characteristics,specified in the request to select a cluster with a generated clustercapability, that correspond to the characteristics specified in therequest; and forward the generation cluster capability of the selectedcluster responsive to selecting the cluster.
 20. The first user deviceof claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to connect to thememory and further execute the computer-executable instructions to atleast: transmit the generated cluster capability to each of the otheruser devices of the first cluster.